December 10, 2010
Bill Wallace
His book ‘Santa’s Magic Key’ comes from his work with children
Bill Wallace displays a copy of his book “Santa’s Magic Key,” and a key he wore when he portrayed Santa. He is a parishioner at St. John the Baptist Church in Newburgh. (Message photo by Mary Ann Hughes) Click for a larger version.
By MARY ANN HUGHES (Message staff writer)
Bill Wallace has penned a children’s book that captures his own experiences over the years as Santa Claus. It’s titled “Santa’s Magic Key,” and it’s dedicated to his late wife, Margaret, also known as “Mrs. Santa Claus.”
He’s a parishioner and dedicated volunteer at St. John the Baptist Church in Newburgh. He and his wife were the founders of Mother Teresa Thrift Store. “It was Margaret’s idea,” he said. “She told me what she wanted, and I did the dirty work.”
The idea for the Newburgh store came during a youth trip. “We were converting a second floor of an old store into low income apartments, and the first floor was a thrift store run by two nuns.” During work breaks, the couple talked with the sisters, and “that’s kind of where we got the idea.”
The idea to play Santa came years earlier from Bill’s first wife, Edythe. She was working with kindergarten students and came home one day and told Bill, “We are having a Christmas party, and we need a Santa.”
He chuckles at the memory of his response. “I thought that I would make some points, and I said, ‘Honey, if I had a Santa suit, I would be a Santa.’ She left the table and came back with a sack with a Santa suit in it.”
Her hairdresser gave her a key that Bill wore over the suit when he visited with children. “The children asked what it meant, and I said it was a ‘magic key’ for Santa.
“I told them it would open doors on any lock in the whole wide world.”
When a child suggested he open a classroom door, he quickly replied that “it only works on Christmas Eve,” adding that “all the good little boys and girls have to be sound asleep.”
As he visited classrooms, the children would express concerns about having no fireplace chimneys or having alarm systems. He assured them that he could unlock doors, dismantle alarm systems, leave presents, and then lock the doors and turn the alarm systems back on — all with his magic key.
His key is tied to a golden rope, and he told children that if they found it on a sidewalk or in a yard, they should give it to their mothers and she would see that it was returned to the North Pole.
He said that the best thing that happened to him as Santa was when Margaret decided she would be Mrs. Claus. “When we got married, she knew I was Santa Claus, and one day she said, ‘I’m going to go with you.’ She came out in a red dress with a white lace collar and fur on the cuffs and red shoes.
“That was the greatest thing that happened to Santa. Sometimes young children don’t want anything to do with Santa Claus, but she would say, ‘Come to grandma.’ While they were with her, I would stand behind them, and the parents would take a photo.”
The idea to write about his experiences as Santa developed about a year ago when he saw an ad on the Internet to have stories published. “It didn’t take long to write it down,” he said, “because I’ve told it so many times.” Soon his copies of “Santa’s Magic Key” were in print, and he was selling copies of them. “Both of my wives had a big hand in this book,” he said.
Autographed copies of the book are available from Bill for $11. For additional information, contact him at (812) 490-1465. The books are also available at Barnes and Noble bookstore in Evansville.